


To wait for rain

by VelveteenPrince



Category: Free!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Emperor Rin, M/M, Sacrifices, Splash Free-inspired, Tests of Strength, Water God Haru, other characters mentioned only - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22743718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelveteenPrince/pseuds/VelveteenPrince
Summary: Five times the local water god met Rin and one time Rin went after him
Relationships: Matsuoka Gou & Matsuoka Rin, Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 7
Kudos: 68
Collections: #ficwip Valentine's Day exchange





	To wait for rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [knaps_docx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knaps_docx/gifts).



> Written for the ficwip server valentine's exchange :D I chose fantasy and tests of strength, and mmmaybe a tiny bit of angst? ;w; I think it turned out happy though.

The sun was merciless on those unlucky enough to find themselves outside the safety of their homes at such an hour. The shadow of the city walls provided little respite in the all-embracing heat of the desert. Rin’s scalp itched, his sweat trickling dangerously close to his eye and he had no way to stop it; hands bound behind his back to a thick wooden pole. His feet barely reached the ground, and though all his weight was supported by the ropes wrapped around him, his body still strained and tired.

He wished with all his might for a bit of water to grace the land under his feet and save him from this listless state of heat and boredom and pain.

As if his prayers had been answered, he saw through unfocused eyes the splash of something blue and clear at his feet, like rolling waves trying to lick up the pole. He startled, blinking away the sting of sweat from his eyes, but when he raised his head, the water was nowhere in sight, as if it had been nothing more than a heat-induced hallucination. In its place, a pair of legs had come to stand before him.

Attached to that pair of legs was what looked like a traveller, watching him with curious eyes that matched his camel's behind him. He wondered if this was another hallucination because the person in front of him didn’t move or acknowledge him besides never taking off him that pair of deep blue eyes. 

“Do you need help?” The stranger asked.

Yeah, he was sort of expecting this kind of ice-breaker. He couldn't help but snort. “Yeah, no, it’s just super comfortable to be tied up in the middle of this heat!” He didn’t like to talk like that to someone he’d just met but his eyes hurt, his limbs weren’t much better and the sensation of sweat rolling down every inch of his body wasn’t a walk in the park either.

The stranger raised his head a bit, seemingly taking a better look at him, then his gaze fell down on the ropes. “If you’re so sure.” Then he pulled on the reins of his camel and turned to leave.

What.

“Wait!” Rin called out, “wait, wait, wait! That was clearly sarcasm!"

The stranger turned around as if he’d never been intending to leave in the first place, which piqued Rin's interest even more. It seemed his boredom had reached a new high if he was getting this excited just to have someone to talk to. "Who are you anyway? I’ve never seen you around here.”

Ignoring his question, the stranger asked instead, “and you know everyone around here?”

Rin laughed. What was this guy so serious over. He was the one tied up, but he already felt his mood was better than this stranger’s. “Well, no, but I do know most of my people, and I know you’re not one of them because everyone in the city knows about the sacrifice to the gods!”

The stranger shot him a disbelieving look. “Sacrifice?”

Rin cocked his head to one side, appearing woeful, though resigned to his fate. “My city’s been going through a pretty rough drought recently. They’ve convinced themselves the only way to rid it of this curse is through the sacrifice of their emperor,” he explained.

The stranger raised an eyebrow. “Why would they be convinced that’s the case?”

Rin clicked his tongue, but it wasn’t very effective with his mouth dry as it was. “You know, people are always digging up this or that scripture and interpreting it as they please. The idea is to offer up a royal to the water god; and in exchange, the water would return.”

This time, the stranger seemed interested. For some reason, it pleased Rin. “And you were okay with this?”

He made a non-committal noise. With his shoulders tightly bound, it wasn’t as easy to shrug. “It's not really about being okay with it or not. It was either me or my sister, as we're the only members of the royal family left." He looked into the endless golden stretching before him with squinted eyes, the thirst once more returning to his throat. Something tightened in his chest at the thought of how long he'd have to wait. The stranger kept quiet, so Rin turned back to him and continued, "anyway, it’ll be fine as long as it rains in the next few days, right? How long can one wait for rain? It’s only been a few hours, I’m resilient.” 

The stranger raised an eyebrow, obviously as unconvinced as Rin had sounded. "And if it doesn't work?"

That remained to be seen. He didn't want to think about that yet. He knew his people had to be desperate enough to do something like this, but he'd like to think they wouldn't let him die if, after a day or two, they realized nothing was happening. 

The stranger sighed; he looked like he’d been wanting to do that for some time, and finally grabbed the reins of his camel to walk past him.

“Hey wait!” Rin called, “you won’t tell me your name? I told you my tragic backstory! I’m really bored here!” He tried to turn his head to see if he was returning, to no avail. After a moment, he gave up, slumping back down again.

In truth, that meeting had raised his spirits somewhat, and he found himself with the image of the stranger fresh in his mind; his skin glowing with sweat and yet never seeming as hot as Rin felt, his eyes like the very water he was denied. Without much else to do, he traced his figure back and forth a few times. Boredom was even worse than the relentless heat. After all, he’d been dealing with heat his whole life, but in his palace, he at least had someone to talk to and people who kept him company.

He rustled the sand with the tip of his foot and twiddled his thumbs behind his back. Minutes (or perhaps hours) blended together until he was numb. The shadows that had receded over the day slowly inching forward like beasts crawling out of their holes as the sun began to walk away. 

A shadow approached, followed by a gust of wind. The golden glow around him dimmed suddenly. When he looked up, he realized what was over his head was not another person, but a giant, fluffy cloud, plump with the promise of rain. If his limbs had been free, he no doubt would have jumped from happiness. As his hair flew into his face, he couldn't help but laugh like a child excitedly awaiting a present.

But, just as fast as the cloud came, the wind picked it up and took it far, far away beyond even the limits of his city.

He sighed, trying not to be discouraged. After all, clouds didn’t travel alone, right? Surely the next one would come by just as quick and stay!

“Hey-”

“AH!” He’d been too focused on the cloud to notice someone had come to stand before him. It was the same traveller from before!

“I found some water.” Though his mouth was dry, he could swear he tasted a refreshing moisture on his tongue upon hearing such simple words. The knot in his stomach twisted and jumped.

“That’s amazing! Where is it? Is it enough to save the city? If it belongs to a different kingdom tell them we can offer anything they-”

“It’s not enough,” the stranger cut him off.

“Hm?”

“I said there’s not enough for a whole city,” he said, knocking once of the barrel strapped to his camel. Though it was big enough to fit a person, it obviously couldn't sate a whole city. He heard the insides slosh around, and though he couldn't see it, his whole body could feel it; tantalizing, crystal clear, shining under the afternoon sun. The itches on his body became pins and needless he desperately needed to scrub off. “This is all I found.”

Rin’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I see…”

He swallowed back nothing. “Well, at least it should be enough to make someone’s day." After thinking about it for a moment, he said, "listen to me, go into the city, ask around for Makoto Tachibana; he always shares with others but he has to care for his two little siblings first. He could use the extra water. He’ll thank you.”

The traveller didn’t move. “You don’t want this?”

“They’re _children,_ ” he said, like that was all the explanation he needed to give. “Now go, go!”

He didn’t argue with Rin, and guiding his camel, he turned towards the city gates.

What a strange guy, he thought. What an even stranger situation. What kind of place had just enough water to fill a barrel and no more? He had rarely left the city, so he didn’t know of any wells nearby. But if there were indeed wells, then how come no one in his city had thought to check?

He would have pondered more about these strange encounters, but his head had started to ache from the heat, his body tired and begging him for some sleep.

Rin had always been convinced that the reason he didn't dream a lot was because there was nothing he particularly lacked or desired, and thus, there was nothing to dream about. This time, though, as he dozed off, he could swear he heard the sound of running water somewhere near, a continuous stream like a waterfall he could bathe under. He felt himself getting close to it; the refreshing wind around it cooling his skin, droplets thin like needles landing on his face with force. It felt so vivid he startled himself awake. Night had almost fallen, the temperature dropping to a manageable cool that very soon would turn bone-biting. It’d be pleasant if his skin didn’t itch so much.

“Hey-”

His heart jumped. “Can you stop sneaking up on me like that?” he barked, his throat hoarse and dry and his words a bit slurred through chapped lips.

"I didn't," he said, but didn't elaborate further as he lifted the barrel and changed the subject. “There’s still some left.”

“What? You didn’t give it all to the Tachibanas?”

“I did, this was all they wanted.”

Rin grumbled under his breath, “even if it’s all you need for one day there’s still tomorrow…” He shook his head, deciding that if that was their choice, then it couldn’t be helped. “Okay, now listen. You already know Makoto, so you can go back to his house and ask him where Nagisa Hazuki lives. He’s young and he has three sisters, they need it more than I do.”

The stranger narrowed his eyes at him.

“Go to him quick! Soon it will be night and there won’t be anyone to answer you.”

And so, the traveller left with the rest of the water.

After night had fallen, he began admiring the speckled sky. It was an even better view than the one back at the palace. If this was any other time, he'd want to stay and watch it for hours.

Hurried steps approached in the sand; through ragged breaths called out a girl's voice, “brother!” in a whisper that was nonetheless still loud enough to hear.

“Gou?” He turned his head and sure enough there she was, his little sister. She came before him and dug around in her pouch for a heavy and dark-looking piece of cloth. As she brought it to his lips, little drops of water fell on his mouth, the rest rolled down his chin and stained his front. “Gou, what are you doing?”

“You’ve been out here for so long,” she explained, worry clear in her face as she patted down the corners of his mouth with the wet rag. It was cool on his dry skin. Such a welcome change in temperature, he found it hard to complain. He sighed, content if only for a bit. 

“Thank you, Gou.”

“Don’t mention it! I tried to bring more but the water supplies are heavily guarded.” This was very like her. She kept worrying about Rin even though he told her to look out for herself first, and even snuck out to meet him.

“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “Tell me, have you heard anything from Makoto or Nagisa today?”

“Hm? No, I haven’t seen them since you told them there was no need to go back to the palace while this drought was settled.”

With his head somewhat clear for the first time in the day, he really began to think the stranger was mysterious and he shouldn’t have just trusted him blindly.

“I need you to find them and ask them how they’re doing. Ah- they might not tell you if you ask directly about their water supply so just make up something about having found a beggar who really, _really_ needs water. But don’t take any from them, and under no circumstances should you let anyone else know of this.”

Gou blinked up at him in confusion and even more worry. She thought for a moment her brother really had been affected badly by the sun. Thus, she began cleaning him up even more rigorously and giving him more sips of water. But after he kept insisting he was fine, she had no choice but to trust him and agree to do as she was told.

It was a long night, as he figured his first night out would be. He couldn’t sleep, and he kept thinking about that traveller, who thrice had appeared unannounced; who brought with him water from who-knows-where; who looked as if he always wanted to say something else before thinking better of it and leaving.

It was cold. The wind chilled his body almost as if it soaked through his clothes and lapped at his sweaty skin. Rin shuddered, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the unmistakable pair of feet standing before the front of a camel.

“How do you manage to sneak around with a whole camel following you?”

"I don't sneak around," he said, and provided no further explanation. Instead, he patted the barrel hanging from the side of his camel. “I found more water.”

Rin was starting to get used to this guy’s strangeness. He would have found it annoying, but after a whole night of thinking, he thought he really shouldn’t doubt good things, perhaps he was just lucky.

“And let me guess,” he pointed towards the barrel with his chin, “that’s all that’s left?”

The traveller had his arms crossed. “Yeah?”

“I see. Well, what are you waiting for? Go into the city, Nagisa will tell you where to find this guy, Rei Ryugazaki. He’s one of my royal guards. I told him to take some time off when the drought started, but knowing him he’s been standing out in the sun since yesterday. Go to him, tell him to take however much he needs. Then give the rest away as well. Just give it to the next person you meet.”

It seemed the stranger didn’t want to argue with him this time, so he quickly took off. Rin waited and hoped his suspicion was right, and he really was just lucky.

After some time, when the scenery before his eyes started to warp and he felt he might pass out, he heard, “brother!”

Before he could answer, a cool rag pressed to his forehead. He could swear he heard it sizzle, but it was probably another hallucination. He let Gou tend to him as she explained her day.

“I did as you asked! I went to the Tachibanas and struck up conversation. They seemed to be avoiding the topic of the drought so I casually asked Makoto where I could find some water for a kitten I saw on the street -I figured he was more likely to tell me whatever it is you wanted to hear if it was about an animal-. And you were right! He offered to give me some of the extra he had!”

Rin breathed a sigh of relief. Partly because of the cool comfort, partly because, as it turned out, this stranger really was more than an illusion and doing as he was asked. “Thank you, Gou. And Nagisa?”

“Same thing happened! Practically identical!” Rin nodded, only letting her know that he had already guessed. “What is it? Why were they given special treatment?”

“Don’t worry about it. I still need you to do something for me. Go to the palace and find Rei, coax some answers out of him, he’ll tell you some of what happened. Follow the trace he leads you in until you find someone that doesn’t belong in the city.”

“Doesn’t belong?”

“You’ll know him when you see him. He's- ah, impossible to miss!"

A bit of doubt appeared in her face, but she'd already proven her brother wasn't just suffering heat delusions, so she kept quiet.

"Oh, right! I brought some food for you this time!" She said, about to reach into her pouch.

"There's no time," said Rin. "Now go, he might have already run off.”

Gou couldn’t waste more time, she left the rag on Rin’s nape and left. Such a good kid, he thought. If that stranger came back again, he’d ask him for water for his sister. Ah, but then she’d just split it and bring it all to Rin…

He waited and waited, but the traveller didn’t return. His sister was taking very long too, and an unpleasant feeling began to grow in his heart. Had he scared him off by sending someone after him? Was he rude?

He remembered the traveller liked to sneak up on him, so he stood limply still, pretending to relax, but no one came.

After a while, he really did doze off. And once again, he started to dream.

In this dream, he was on his knees instead of forced to stand, his head was thrown back, eyes towards the sky and mouth slacked as he let icy cold water pour down his throat. He gulped it with abandon, not caring for a second that he was entirely drenched, for his mouth could not wrap around the thick stream. He felt _alive._ But seconds later the stream thinned and thinned and soon only drops remained. When he straightened, the stranger was before him, an oasis in his eyes that, despite all he’d drunk, made him thirsty.

He stood next to his barrel, which was many, many sizes bigger than what he’d seen before.

“I have enough in this barrel to water your whole city, but you can choose to drink from it for all eternity. What will you do?” His voice was a bit different. It didn't come out of his mouth but poured into Rin's head like waves.

Rin blinked away stray drops that had caught on his lashes. For once in what felt like centuries, he tasted not the salt of his sweat, but the sweet and cool taste of the water still not gone from his lips. He shook his head, his damp hair hitting and sticking to his face. “There are so many still without water, you _must_ bring this to them. Don’t worry about me until everyone else has had their fill.”

The stranger spoke inside his head again, “is that what you really think?”

Of course he wanted a drink. He was only human. But how could a drop of that sweetness taste anything but bitter if he was the only one allowed to drink? If he didn’t _share_ the euphoria of that icy cold.

Rin nodded. “If I’m alone, then there’s no point in having all this water for me.”

Sea waves ebbed and flowed towards him. But when he looked down, he realized it wasn't water, but fabric blue enough to rival the sea. As he followed it up with his gaze he noticed the traveller’s clothes had transformed to a long robe that flowed downwards and swayed with the wind, like he was _wearing_ the sea _._ He was in awe.

“Brother. Brother, brother!” called a voice.

When Rin opened his eyes, he was staring at the ceiling of his canopy bed in his palace. His limbs ached as if he’d been beaten to a pulp. What he went through couldn’t have been a dream; the ghost of the rope still tight on his skin, the thirst, the heat, weighing his body down. A comforting cold rested on his forehead. He frowned when Gou removed it to wet it again and place it back on him.

“Gou? What happened?” His voice was hoarse. In his throat a shredding ache.

“You tell me what happened! I did as you asked, but Rei only said his water supply had been mysteriously filled! When I asked for clues he said he didn’t know so I asked around like you had taught me to do with Makoto and Nagisa and it turns out everyone had enough water all of a sudden! Brother, _what did you do?_ ”

“Me? What makes you think-”

“Who else if not you! I told everyone what had happened, everything you told me, and they agreed to let me take you home! The sacrifice worked!” She flung herself to his arms, unable to contain her happiness any longer.

He let her hug him, weakly patting her back. His wrists were in a terrible state, and he didn’t want to see the rest of his body. “But did you not see a man?”

"A man?" she questioned him, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Someone about my age. Raven black hair, blue eyes, walking around the city with a camel and a barrel strapped to it?”

She was deep in thought for a moment, but there was no way such a character would slip from her mind. “I don’t think so. Who are they?”

He stopped. He realized he didn’t know. After all his help, Rin had never asked his name. Guilt spread inside him, and something like longing settled inside. By now he had a pretty good idea of what had happened. 

\---

“I don’t know why you’d want to come back out here after what you went through,” Gou said beside him. They had enough water for days of travel. The oasis had returned, and it had been raining consistently in the city, filling the water banks all up again. They had even started preparations to build more. With all this rain, it wouldn’t be out of the question to fill some more!

“We are looking for other kingdoms in need of help.”

“I don’t understand why we personally have to be the ones to-”

“Wait,” he cut her off.

It could have been the heat. He was no stranger to shadows in the sand, figures in the distance. But something inside him urged him to follow the two silhouettes he saw.

“Brother, where are you going??”

The backside of a camel he’d come to be familiar with blocked the backside of a person he wished he was more familiar with.

“Wait!” He called out. The strange traveller stopped and turned around. The same eyes he'd seen the first time they'd met. Curiosity, interest. Suddenly, Rin realized he had little to say. Though he had a pretty good idea of the stranger's identity, he wanted to confirm. “Um, don’t your sacrifices get a good-bye?”

He turned his head to the side, a bit annoyed but only on the surface. “You were not my sacrifice.”

“Then what was that?”

“What do you suppose it was?” 

He'd already thought it through. “A test,” he guessed. “In a dream, you asked me if I wanted to keep drinking for eternity or give to my people. I chose my people.”

“You chose well. Not everyone does.”

“But why the test? Had I or my people ever done something to deserve the drought?” 

He shook his head. “I didn’t bring the drought to your people, nature did. I just gave you your water back when you proved to be unselfish.”

“Well, thanks,” said Rin, rubbing the back of his neck. "There must have been better ways to prove that, though. I really thought I was going to die there." Though he tried to lighten the mood, the stranger didn't change expression. 

"I didn't make your people strap you to that pole, either."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that's all in the past."

The stranger gave a slight nod and turned to leave again.

“I take it you think the same?” He waited until the stranger turned around to continue, “that water should be shared, I mean.”

“Water is alive, you can’t tame it and keep it caged for yourself.”

Rin nodded. Once again, he looked into the distance, but the feeling inside his chest was much different than the last time he did. He took out a small canteen and gulped down its contents before he turned back to the stranger. “I think water can be tamed sometimes.” He gave him a cheeky grin. "I have a pool back home. I could take you there and show you."

It might have been the heat that made him see a slight pink spreading across the traveller’s cheeks right as he looked away. Cute. “Just because it likes you it allows you close. Doesn’t mean you’ve tamed it.”

Rin laughed even harder. He didn’t know if they were on the same page with the flirting or if this guy believed that. “Right, right. Then, will this water god allow me to learn his name?”

The stranger, who wasn’t that much of a stranger anymore, sighed. “Haruka.”

“I’m Rin Matsuoka,” he said, extending his hand. “Want to come to my palace, Haru?”

“Whatever,” he said, grabbing the reins on his camel and letting Rin lead the way.

**Author's Note:**

> happy valentine's, knaps!!!! Ahh I hope I did your prompts justice :'D thank u for allowing me to write one of my all-time favorite ships


End file.
